United States President Donald Trump has drawn backlash from health experts after making an unproven claim that Tylenol, a common pain reliever, could be linked to autism when taken during pregnancy.
Speaking in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump said doctors in the US would soon be advised against prescribing the drug to pregnant women. He warned that Paracetamol, as it is known outside North America “is no good” and urged women to “fight like hell” to take it only in cases of extreme fever.
The remarks prompted swift condemnation from medical authorities in the US and abroad.
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting dismissed Trump’s comments, saying, “I trust doctors over President Trump, frankly, on this.”
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) also pushed back firmly. Its president, Dr Steven Fleischman, stressed that the claim of a link “is not backed by the full body of scientific evidence and dangerously simplifies the many and complex causes of neurologic challenges in children.”
ACOG added, “Studies that have been conducted in the past, show no clear evidence that proves a direct relationship between the prudent use of acetaminophen during any trimester and fetal developmental issues.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a notice with softer language than Trump’s announcement, advising doctors to consider limiting Tylenol use in pregnancy while still recognising it as the safest option for managing fever and pain in expectant mothers.
“To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature,” the FDA wrote.
Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who appeared alongside Trump, said the FDA would begin the process of adding a safety label to Tylenol and launch a public health campaign. He also announced the agency would soon approve leucovorin, a decades-old cancer drug, for use in treating some children with autism.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said approval would be based on research suggesting leucovorin may help autistic children with folate deficiencies improve verbal communication. But researchers cautioned that evidence remains preliminary.
Tylenol’s manufacturer, Kenvue, rejected the president’s claim outright. In a statement to the BBC, the company said, “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”
Scientific studies on the subject remain divided. An August review led by Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health found that out of 46 studies, 27 suggested a link between Tylenol use in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. But a 2024 Swedish study involving 2.4 million children found no relationship at all.
“There is no robust evidence or convincing studies to suggest there is any causal relationship,” said Monique Botha, professor of social and developmental psychology at Durham University in the UK.
The National Autistic Society also condemned Trump’s remarks, describing them as “irresponsible” and accusing him of devaluing autistic people. “The incessant misinformation about autism from President Trump and Robert F Kennedy Jr risks undermining decades of research by respected experts in the field,” the group said.
For some expectant mothers, the announcement caused unease. “This announcement, if made without the proper context, would worry a lot of other people as well,” said Haley Drenon, a 29-year-old pregnant woman from Austin, Texas. “It seems a little unnecessary just because the headlines are clear that the data is not irrefutable.”
Autism diagnoses have risen sharply in recent decades, with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting a 2.77% prevalence among 8-year-olds in 2020. Experts attribute the increase partly to growing awareness and expanded diagnostic criteria, while emphasising that autism arises from a complex mix of genetic and environmental factors.
Both Trump and Kennedy have previously advanced disputed claims about autism.
